Finals are next week… There’s a lot of this going on.
I’m tired! It’s 2 am and I need to finish an 8-10 page paper by 12 o’clock for my Psych and Christian Thought class… :/
Womp! Womp! Womp!
At least I’m on the 8th page, but as always, I still have a lot left to say.
Praying that I get some rest eventually.

markmuldez:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I am SO done living my own life.
I am SO done living a lukewarm life.
I’m so tired of failing & I’m so fed up with my sins.
I’m tired of being defeated in my daily battles and struggles.
I’m tired of fighting against my flesh & making poor decisions.
I feel like every-time I try to take 3 steps forward closer to You,
the enemy is constantly pulling my flesh down and then I take 10 steps backward.

Why is this SO hard?

Father would You give me the strength everyday to walk in Your ways.
Would You search me, test me, and make my heart pure so that I may see You..
Would help me strive to enter that narrow gates of Your heavenly kingdom?
Because I know many will find it, but only a few will be able to enter it.
And I want to be those few who will enter it.
I desire to stand before You my Lord, my God, my King on that judgement day and hear Your words and say,

“Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Please Father, hear my cry. Hear my prayer. Take my life and take full control of me. I want to spend eternity with You. I want to be blameless and holy before Your coming. I want to be set apart and be distinguished as Your Child. Give me the desires of Your heart and plant them in my heart so that my outmost desires are all about You and Your works. Just like what Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20 

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

I know! I had been waiting a couple hours to see you! hahaha I was happy! lol I’m glad God helped confirmed Biola for you.
That’s what events like Step It Up are for! :)
We had a great time hosting you and just being able to facilitate the admissions process for you!

You know who you can ask if you have any questions! :)
 

Here’s a video from a recent Reconciliation chapel. It’s Biola’s Hula Ministry dancing to a hula version of How Great Thou Art.
One goal of Biola’s Reconciliation Chapels are to demonstrate the types of worship of students of different cultural backgrounds grew up practicing and to celebrate the importance of God’s diverse body and kingdom.
If you’re coming in as a future student I’d recommend you attend them to get a new perspective. They’re amazing chapels!
And if you’re interested in Hula, then get ready to dance in the fall. :)

This weekend, April 20-21st is STEP IT UP!
I’ve talked a little bit about what is on my blog and had previously posted a video a while back. It’s a preview weekend run by the Office of Multi-Ethnic Outreach whose goal is to recruit students of multi-ethnic backgrounds, who have a desire to learn more about Biola University before possibly attending in the fall.
It’s a really great event that helps to facilitate the process of making future friendships with prospective students and current students and getting familiar with the school in an intimate setting before becoming an official Biola Eagle.

God moves in incredible ways during the weekend as the Holy Spirit confirms for students whether this may be the place that He wants them. So, if you received an invitation by mail I would hope that you registered by now since it it closed. :(I’m personally going to be there helping out, so if you are going to STEP IT UP and have any questions feel free to ask me.
If you are high school juniors or younger make sure to keep this on your radar for future reference.
God bless y’all!

Btw, the pictures above are from Step It Up Scavenger Hunts from previous years. Make sure you wear running shoes. We get our workout on, but all in good fun. :)

I am fully aware that Biola’s May 1st enrollment and housing deposit deadlines are coming up pretty fast. I know that for many of you reading that that means that the clock is ticking to make a choice about Biola or another school. Or for others who are current Biola students you’re probably just asking yourselves how are you going to pay for your next semester.
So I just wanted to share a couple of words with you because I care for you.

Finances, for sure, play a huge part in a lot of prospective students’ decision.
Private school education isn’t cheap. I KNOW! I’m a sophomore at Biola, who was blessed with tons of financial aid, but not enough to cover every single penny.
Many college students hate the word loan, but I just want to encourage you to keep an open mind about the way God provides for your education.
Loans can be scary when thinking about how much you may have to pay back when you graduate, but a college education is an investment. God can financially provide through loans. And He calls us to have faith the He will also provide a job for us after we graduate to pay back those loans.
Not everybody has the same situation, though. For some it’s easier and for others it’s a lot more difficult.
I suggest that if you have to schedule an appointment with financial aid office at Biola or other schools you’ve gotten accepted to, do it!
It’s important! And you might learn about other resources that may help you out financially too.
Just know that you’re not alone. Whether you go to Biola or somewhere else, God is with you.
Don’t be scared if it seems as though the Lord is trying to change your plans.
God knows where He wants you. He has a perfect plan for your future. Keep an open mind and heart to where He’s leading you.
Biola University is not for everybody, whether it is because of finances, limited majors, personal reasons, or for a divine reason. I know that for some, those words are heartbreaking.
But God knows where He’s taking you. He is going to use that place to teach you something and help you grow.

He’s not going to forsake you if you happen to start off at a community college, a public university, or even if you have to take a break from schooling for a while. He is with you wherever you go.
I’m hoping all works out for you.
Just know you are my prayers.
Not only because of the possibility of you being a prospective Biola student, but because you are my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I love you all!
God bless you’

AWWW I’m so excited for you!
Look for me at Step It Up ok? I’ll be at registration tables giving out name tags! :) So you are gonna cross my path.
And you know that if you need anything else that I’m here for you, girl! 

LEAD doesn’t require too much of your time. 
 Like I had mentioned before, you are placed into the internship class, which your academic schedule is accommodated to.
Classes are usually every other to every other other Thursday at 3:00 pm to 4:20 pm. You are required to attend those classes.
The classes take place the week that racial reconciliation chapels occur. Those are alternate chapels that are linked to the internship program of which you are required to attend five and write a reflection paper on at the end of the semester. They are really good. They do a good job at representing the many different types of worship in our Body: spoken word, Hula, Gospel choir, spanish worship, interpretive dance, and others.
And then you also must attend SCORR Conference around the end of February, go to workshops and sessions, and write another reflection paper on it. 
You decide whether you’d like to volunteer by helping with SCORR too. 
It doesn’t take up a lot of your time.
I can give testimony to that. I’ve been busy in soooo many different campus activities and LEAD hasn’t interfered with them.
I work as an Ambassador, I’ve worked as a part of a worship team with Biola Ethnic Advancement Team, done a small role of leadership for a club called UNIDOS, am doing training for SOS (Student Orientation Services) and still been involved with working LEAD into my schedule. But to be honest, it wasn’t time consuming at all. As soon as you complete your first year class of LEAD you won’t have it on your schedule the following year. It’s a one-year class. :)
As soon as you get to college you’ll learn the importance of prioritizing and managing your time wisely, but you’ll get the hang of it. I promise! 
Just know that LEAD doesnt stand in the way of wanting to be involved with campus activities or anything like that. It’s a huge blessing.
I would encourage you to get comfortable with your LEAD mentors, when you start at Biola.
The names of your LEAD mentors, who are in charge of LEAD and Multi-Ethnic Programs and Develop, are Glen Kinoshita, Alicia Miller, and Tamra Newman. You are going to learn a lot from them.
They serve the purpose of facilitating the process of learning how to have Biblically centered conversations on the topics of diversity and racial reconciliation within God’s kingdom.

I think that you will do a great job at managing your time wisely as long as you allow God to take control of your schedule.
You have a lot ahead of you, but God never gives us more than we can handle.
This is a blessing. :)
Get ready to learn and be used. 
 

Yep,
Recipients of the LEAD scholarship are students on Biola’s campus who have a heart for diversity, promoting multicultural awareness, and who are willing to learn and discuss the divine purpose of multi-ethnicity in God’s kingdom. The purpose of LEAD is to prepare students to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ through cultural enrichment both on campus and off campus.

So, the LEAD program prepares you and helps you gain a better prospective on racial reconciliation within the body of Christ. It’s a really good program. I’ve loved it!
In your first year, you’re put in the LEAD class, which meets every other Thursday, go to reconciliation chapels and write reflection papers on those chapels and what you’ve learned each  semester.
You are also required to go to SCORR Conference, which is the Student Congress on Racial Reconciliation, where students from all over the nation meet up and unite to speak on issues about diversity.
You write a reflection paper on that too.
 Just some advice: keep and open mind, be willing to listen, and speak up about anything the Lord calls you to speak about.

You can ask any me anything you want about it too k?
Hopefully my answer was helpful.